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Syria Project

Our work on Syria sheds light on the ongoing struggle of Syrians to fulfill their desire for democratic self-governance as the United States and the international community grapple with the aftermath of a devastating civil war, millions of refugees across the Middle East and Europe, and ongoing security and political challenges spilling over Syria’s borders.

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Syria Strategy Project

The Atlantic Council, Middle East Institute, and European Institute of Peace collaborate with subject matter experts and policymakers in the US, Europe, and the Middle East to develop a holistic strategy to sustainably forge a pathway to resolving Syria’s crisis.

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Working with our allies and partners in Europe and the wider Middle East to protect US interests, build peace and security, and unlock the human potential of the region.

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Content

Issue Brief

Oct 2, 2014

ISIS war game: The coming stalemate

By Bilal Y. Saab and Michael S. Tyson

On September 22, the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security conducted a war game to examine the type of strategic interaction that might ensue between the US-led coalition and Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) fighters over the next six months. The latest issue brief from the Brent Scowcroft Center on International […]

Iraq Syria

MENASource

Oct 2, 2014

Syria: Give Diplomacy a Fighting Chance

By Frederic C. Hof

Even habitual critics of the United Nations should acknowledge that its Secretary-General has recruited top-drawer international diplomatic talent in the search for peace in Syria. Kofi Annan, Lakhdar Brahimi, and now Staffan de Mistura: statesmen who lack little in resourcefulness, creativity, discipline, and dedication.

Syria

In the News

Oct 2, 2014

Itani on the al-Nusra Front

By Faysal Itani

McClatchy quotes Rafik Hariri Center Resident Fellow Faysal Itani on the US stance on the al-Nusra Front and its implications for moderate rebel groups: 

Syria

MENASource

Oct 2, 2014

Iconoclasm & the Islamic State: Image-Maker vs. Image-Breaker

By Matthew Hall

A Q&A With Dr. James Noyes, Part II of III More than merely a terror group, the Islamic State is a violent state-building project, conquering territory with the intent to rule. In clearing the landscape to impose this political agenda, an essential component of the group’s military advance has been the systematic destruction of holy […]

Syria

MENASource

Oct 1, 2014

Assad Still An Enemy in the Fight Against ISIS

By Frederic C. Hof

In an interview with the Associated Press on Monday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem offered a remarkable, if dubious revelation: that Washington sent three separate messages to Damascus 24 hours in advance of the September 23 airstrikes on Islamic State (IS) targets in Syria, each one saying, “We are not after the Syrian army or the Syrian […]

Syria

In the News

Sep 29, 2014

Hof on Intelligence Assessments of ISIS

By Frederic C. Hof

The Daily Telegraph quotes Rafik Hariri Center Senior Fellow Frederic Hof on whether the US intelligence community was caught off guard by the Islamic State’s seemingly unexpected expansion into Iraq and Syria:

Iraq Syria

In the News

Sep 28, 2014

Hof on US Options in Syria

By Frederic C. Hof

The Washington Post cites Rafik Hariri Center Senior Fellow Frederic Hof on US policy on Syria:

Syria

New Atlanticist

Sep 26, 2014

Is This Obama’s Golden Foreign Policy Moment?

By Barry Pavel

Four Key Lessons for the Rest of the Obama Term President Barack Obama’s tough speech before the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday struck a very different tone from his past foreign policy speeches, which often highlighted the drawdown of US military forces from overseas conflicts. Instead, this time, and before a global audience, President […]

Middle East Syria

Article

Sep 25, 2014

Arab allies key in fight against ISIS

By Nicholas Burns

President Obama was right to order airstrikes against the ISIS home base in northern Syria Monday night. There was no alternative but to target ISIS headquarters in Raqqa and other locations where the terrorist group has built up a considerable infrastructure. The US strategy to contain ISIS and to prevent it from dismembering Iraq cannot […]

Middle East Syria

MENASource

Sep 24, 2014

Air Strikes in Syria: One Hand Clapping

By Frederic C. Hof

The decision of the Obama administration to strike Islamic State targets (as well as some associated with another al-Qaeda derivative) in Syria is laudable. The participation of multiple Arab partners is commendable: the fight against this vacuum-filling band of murderers, torturers, and thieves is, in its essence, an Arab fight against pagan barbarism.

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Experts